Politics & Government Flashcards
Understand terms and figures associated with the Monarchy (753 to 509 BCE); the Republic (509 to 27 BCE) and the Empire (27 BCE to 476 CE) (44 cards)
What is the meaning of res publica?
public property or commonwealth
What is the meaning of imperium?
political power, power to rule
What were the fasces?
bundles of sticks with a double-bladed ax in the middle representing control of the citizens through corporal or capital punishment, symbol of imperium
Who is a lictor?
one of 12 who carried a fascis, they accompanied the king as a visible sign of his imperium; later they attended magistrates in the Republic who held imperium
What was an interrex (interreges)?
senators chosen by lot to serve successive 5 day periods as rulers upon the death of a king until a new king was chosen
What was the comitia curiata?
an assembly of all the citizens, who approved the senate’s recommendation for a new king, and who voted yes or no in matters of foreign policy; each of the 30 curiae had ONE vote
Who were the patres?
senators
During the monarchy, what were senatus consulta?
resolutions of the senate usually followed by the rex
What was a curia?
a group of families who fought together during times of war
What were tribus (macron over u)?
three divisions of the Roman populace during the monarchy, each made up of ten curiae
Whhat was the patrum auctoritas and why was it important?
It was the authority of the senate and it was necessary in order to finalize any decision made by the curiae
What was the Comitia Centuriata?
an assembly of the people that elected the higher offices (maiores) in which each century had one vote organized by social class (those in the higher brackets voted first). The wealthy minority had a majority of votes (98 out of 193)
Who was the Magister Equitum?
The second in command during a dictator’s rule
What were the maiores?
the offices of the praetors, the consuls, and the censors (the higher magistrates)
What was the Comitia Tributa?
the assembly of the people organized into 35 tribes (4 urban) in which the less populated rural areas had more votes (more tribes) than the heavily populated city. it elected the minores/the lower magistrates
What were the minores?
the offices of quaestors, aediles, and tribunes of the plebs (lower offices)
What was the cursus honorum?
the order in which one could run for public office during the Roman Republic literally the course of honors
What was the prelimiary step in the cursus honorum?
ten years of military service in which one had to achieve the level of military tribus (tribunus militum)
What was the first elected office that could be held and at what age?
quaestor, 28
who were quaestors?
treasurers
how long did one have to wait before running for the next office
two years
what could one run for after one served as queastor
aediles
who were aediles
officials in charge of the upkeep of temples, public buildings, streets, free grain, and public entertainment (ludi, munera gladiatoria)
what were the two types of aediles?
two plebeian aediles (aediles plebis) and to curule aediles (aediles curules)
